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Crowley Lake proposes 10-year growth plan

Crowley Lake has set the bar high for community facilities in the past several years, adding a community center, a community garden, and other facilities.

This week, the community set the bar even higher, asking permission from the county supervisors on a plan for a new library, with other projects to follow in the next 10 years.

“We are looking at a library as the highest priority,” said resident Kim McCarthy. “After that, the community voted for adding community programs and classes, then third, making improvements to the ball field, then fourth, adding solar panels to the community center. The fifth priority is adding a skate park to the ball field.”

McCarthy is the president of the Crowley Lake Community Service Area (CSA), an organization which funnels property taxes into a fund for community improvements and facilities and which is under the county supervisors review.

The Crowley Lake CSA has hundreds of thousands of dollars in its pot of money, she said, and adding a library is within the CSA’s abilities.

Before the CSA spends more than $5,000, however, it must get the approval of the board of supervisors.

That prompted Supervisor Larry Johnston to ask a question about the library that McCarthy said was at the top of the priority list.

“In general, are libraries no longer needed?” he said, noting the move toward digital media in the past decade.

“Absolutely,” said Bill Michaels, the Mono County Board of Education’s library specialist. He noted that Mono County has a unique library system and that the data shows the county’s libraries are heavily used, especially their computers.

McCarthy said the library would be located near the community center, which is located near the Crowley Lake Store, serve as a bus stop, and be a center of the community.